We are cruising back towards the mainland of Argentina today. If we went east we would likely not hit anything until the beaches of Perth, Australia. That part of the planet between the Atlantic and Indian oceans never gets much play (except when a Malaysian airliner disappears there). I learned that the Malvinas sit at 52 South Latitude, which compares in the northern hemisphere to the Latitude of London, which sits at 52 North Latitude. That implies that we are not dealing with an Arctic climate, but rather just a harsh windy environment, not unlike what we get in England.
Yesterday was a tough day for me. This cold has proudly gripped me by the throat and thrashed me quite severely. I’m not used to being sick, so shivering in the cold of a penguin rookery cafe in a metal container building felt pretty gnarly to me. Mostly I was just physically whipped and lacked the energy to walk or even stay warm. It’s a good reminder that we are not as strong and impermeable as we think we are. When the bus took us back to Port Stanley, Kim went off to explore the very small village while I put my head down and went to the tender. Getting from tender to ship was actually quite an ordeal thanks to the windy conditions. Not getting washed overboard by a rogue wave was a greater accomplishment than I would have hoped for in my enfeebled condition. I hightailed it for the cabin, where I spent the afternoon licking my wounds and trying to use rest to restore myself.
When Kim got back, she started making noises like a sick person two days behind me on this cold path. Right now it’s 4am and I feel like my 16 hours of rest, interrupted by an hour for dinner of Dan Dan Vietnamese noodle soup and some rice, has stood me in better, but not yet fully recovered stead. Meanwhile I can empathize with Kim, who becomes the 6th of our 8 person entourage to succumb to this bug. Mike tells me that the Port Stanley grocer was doing a land office business selling cold meds to the passengers, so apparently, virologically-speaking, we were not alone with this problem. In fact, the World Cafe traffic was so light, I suspect many were in their cabins hunkering down like I had been.
Well, we have a sea day to recuperate until we make landfall again in Puerto Madryn, half way up the Argentine coast. There we are supposed to go look at some sea lions and see what a rural Argentine city looks like before hitting the big city lights of Montevideo and then Buenos Aires. Yesterday I spoke with some guys on our cruise who knew nothing of these areas. I explained that Uruguay was generally a playground for Argentinians and that Punta Del Este is the equivalent of the Hamptons in New York. I think I only confused them since their midwestern heritage did not include an understanding of places like the Hamptons.
I’m not sure I need more time to think in general, but cruising does a good job of making that possible. This morning my mind is on the continuing efforts of the Trump Administration to control our minds and those of the rest of the people of the world. I understand that controlling information and spinning it to the advantage of whatever side is currently in power is not a new game. It has been done in one form or another for as long as governing has existed. I also admit that I am a creature of the past 80 years of liberal democracy rule and my thinking on such subjects is highly prone to believing in the idealism of truth and transparency. As much as those are becoming contestable realities, I, for one believe they are absolutes and that they should not be subject to interpretation.
This morning I read that the Trump Administration has discontinued the Voice of America (VOA) broadcast that has been a global stalwart for 83 years and provided valuable information to subjects of oppression (in one form or another) from WWII to the Cold War through to the present. It is the official external broadcast institution of the United States, providing news and information in multiple languages around the world. VOA began broadcasting during World War II on February 24, with its first broadcast in German. The first words broadcast were: “Here speaks a voice from America. Every day at this time we will bring you the news of the war. The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth.” It was initially created as part of the Office of War Information to counter Nazi propaganda. During the Cold War era the Smith-Mundt Act formalized VOA’s role in U.S. public diplomacy and became part of the newly created United States Information Agency (USIA). During the Cold War, VOA became a crucial information source behind the Iron Curtain, broadcasting news and American perspectives to communist countries. In the modern era, the VOA Charter was signed into law by President Gerald Ford, establishing VOA’s principles of accurate, objective, and comprehensive news reporting. When in 1999
the USIA was dissolved, and VOA became part of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), renamed the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, VOA began transitioning to digital platforms. It now operates websites, mobile apps, and maintains a strong social media presence in addition to traditional radio broadcasting. It currently broadcasts in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 311 million people worldwide.
Throughout its history, VOA has maintained its mission to promote freedom and democracy through reliable news and information while showcasing American perspectives and policies to international audiences. Mike asked me this morning who even listens to VOA. The estimated 311 million people who make up VOA’s audience span across the globe and represent diverse demographics. Large audiences exist in Africa, particularly in countries where free press is limited. Significant listenership also exists in parts of Asia, especially countries like China, Iran, and Afghanistan. Audiences throughout Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics and a growing audience in Latin America and the Middle East are also tuning in. The audience often includes educated, information-seeking individuals, people living under authoritarian regimes seeking alternative news sources, local opinion leaders and professionals, students and academics, and diaspora communities interested in news from their home regions, not to mention people learning English (through VOA’s Special English programs). Increasingly, digital users access content via websites and mobile apps whereas traditional radio listeners, especially in rural areas with limited internet access and even television viewers of VOA’s video programming as well as social media followers across multiple platforms. The audience metrics are regularly measured through surveys and research conducted by VOA’s parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
I will send this to Mike, but I am not confident that that will change his mind about agreeing that stopping such an initiative is just another important way for our country to save money. Alas, as I leave the Malvinas behind, I fear that we as a country are leaving many good things about the life we have built for ourselves and the world as Americans behind.